House Updates

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I received the best compliment tonight. I received a text message from a friend saying that their co-worker said I was slacking because I hadn’t posted any house updates lately.

HA! I know that seems like an odd “compliment”, especially from someone I do not know, but let me explain. You guys have no idea how much I want to know that you WANT to read what I’m posting about! I’ve been sharing on this ol’ blog for over 10 years now. I’ve invested countless hours into it and spend 1,000s of dollars per year just to keep it running. I don’t write paid, sponsored content. I don’t sell anything. I don’t have paid subscriptions to receive my content. I just do it because it’s something I enjoy.

However, I want to know that you are actually reading what I’m sharing! Comment, like, share/pin my posts! Think of it this way…when you post something on Facebook, you want people to like your posts – and if they don’t, you get sad! The internet can be a lonely space if there’s no engagement.

I have no lack of house updates, DIY projects, recipes, travel trips, etc that I could and should blog about…not a day goes by that I don’t do some kind of DIY {it’s in my blood!}, but I can’t you how many times I sit down at the computer, start a blog post and then quit to scroll the old Facebook…simply because I don’t hear from who’s reading my content so I figure why bother!

So…pretty please, engage with me! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to know who is reading my blog and what you want to learn/read more about!

House Update

I don’t want to disappoint, so I need to share some updates about the house!

For all of the previous fire updates, click HERE!

I must confess, I absolutely love sharing updates about my house! I am obviously biased, but I think it truly is beautiful. Like, sometimes I honestly have to pinch myself that it is mine. It’s literally what I always dreamed of…a big, OLD house with a huge wrap around porch. To some, it may totally be ugly and not their type (like my son, who would like a “Dude Perfect kind of house”…bahahaha, luxury new builds are not my style! And to others, it may be absolutely nothing special, and I get that. But I also get how very fortunate I am that I get to raise my family in such a historically special house! And that is something I will never take for granted.

Are there things I would change? Heck yes! I’m enjoying living in town (city limits), but at the same time I am a paranoid freak (mainly because during our rebuild and other issues that followed, I cannot tell you how many times I saw people taking photos of our house…mmmmHmmm,, I saw you, lol!) So just the general “traffic” of people passing by my house is “different” for me as I’ve never lived “in town”.

If I could pick it up and move it to the country, with lots of acres and barns, I would. But unfortunately, that’s not a possibility … and the houses we’ve looked at that have everything else we want, don’t compare to this ol’ beauty (yep, that was a confession there friends). At the end of the day, this 135 year old pile of wood, is still my favorite, wether I want it to be or not.

I would also erase all of the lightning strike/house fire issues. What we went through, that I legally cannot share here, is nothing short of awful. The heartache, the headache, the tarnished relationships and feelings of/towards the area, are all real. And they suck. What we had to deal with…are still dealing with, is just unfair and wrong. But I know what goes around comes around and that in the end, my husband and I can proudly hold our heads high knowing that we persevered and overcame some super crappy cards that were dealt our way – and know that things could have always been much much worse —-> and when we remember to put God first and ask for help for what we’re dealing with, everything seems to be better.

Upcoming Update Posts

I am either a very organized person – or a completely chaotically organized person. However, here on my blog, I like to keep things very organized. So, rather than go into each of these areas in great detail in this blog post, I’ll just share little snippets and follow it up with the full update! So be on the look out!

Mud Room

Here’s the mud room before the fire and during the rebuild. If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll remember that we personally paid extra to vault the ceiling in here. By doing this, the space was absolutely transformed.

The vault completely made me be able to make my design dreams come true in here…here’s what it looks like now! P.S. We also paid to move the stairs that enter into the kitchen further down into the mud room.

The entire room is not done…but, it’s getting there!

Exterior

The exterior of our home needed a lot, and I mean A LOT of work. The yard was completely destroyed during the rebuild because it wasn’t protected for the large equipment to drive on it. So…we had to have the entire yard (all sides of the house) torn up, dirt brought in and re-leveled. Then grass seed was planted and we’ve watering fools ever since! lol

However…like all things that love and hard work go into, it can turn around and be AMAZING!!!! There’s still a lot of work to do (especially with the bushes in front), but it’s starting to look gorgeous and I’m so happy!

Kid’s Bathroom

I don’t think I’ve ever shared about the kid’s bathroom on the blog and that’s a huge shame! haha! I had shared tons of update photos on Facebook while I was doing everything, however, it’s high time that the bathroom makes its debut here!

We laid all of the tile – I still need to finish the pencil edging…ugh!!! I’m so dragging my feet!

The tub is a brand new Kohler clawfoot and it’s soooooooo dang pretty! I’m seriously going to take over the kid’s bathroom! lol

Like all the projects, there’s still a lot more to do…but we are making progress and that’s all that matters!

OK friends, hope this is enough of a hook to get you to come back and check out the full updates…along with a bagillion more that I didn’t share here!

Thank you so much for following along – and remember, I’d love to hear from you!! Leave me a comment about which project you’re most excited to read about!

Fire Updates:

Update #1: House Fire, Struck by Lightning

Update #2:  Update

Update #3: Frustration

Update #4: The Beginning of Demo & A Few Hidden Surprises

Update #5: Demo of the Downstairs

Update #6: 

Update #7: Silver Spoon

Update #8: Trick-Or-Treat; Victorian Style

Update #9: New Joists

Update #10: Roof

Update #11: Roof Demo

Update #12: Roof Demo & Rebuild

Update #13: Beginning of Rebuild

Update #14: Secret Bookcase!

Update #15: We Have Roof Shingles!

Update #16: Heart Hunters & Easter

Update #17: Butler’s Door

Update #18: Hometalk Segment & Video Walk-Through

Update #19: Beginning of Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC

Update #20: Garden & Bunnies

Update #21: Choosing An Exterior House Color

Update #22: Treasures Hidden In The Ceiling

Update #23: Insulation

Update #24: Plaster Walls

Update #25: Surprise Visitors

Update #26: Half Bathroom Before & After During Fire Demo

Update #27: Laundry Room Makeover

Update #28: How To Paint & Refinish HVAC Vent Grate Covers

Update #29: DIY Wooden Door Plaque

Update #30: Spring Porch Decor

Update #31: Garage Door Makeover | How To Install Carriage Door Hardware

Update #32: Our Victorian Farmhouse Kitchen | Progress Update

Update #33: House Updates